The Rains of Kahje
by Scrollmouse
Summary: Shepard has to face the realities of her relationship with Thane. But when both of them disappear its up to Garrus to find out what has happened. Post ME2 - possible spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

The Rains of Kahje

_**AN: Bioware owns everything.**_

The Ocean on Kahje stretched out to the horizon in almost every direction. A crystalline grey colour, it was a more solid reflection of the permanently cloud-blanketed skies above it. The Hanar knew it as the Encompassing and the rhythms of their lives swelled and ebbed in its tides. Although most of them now lived permanently on land, the Hanar still recognised and revered it as the source of their being and their eventual return. This belief had also influenced the Drell, the only other species to share Kahje with the Hanar.

On one of the larger islands, stood a building that was of supreme importance to the Drell. It was a genetic-research facility and hospital. It housed the Hanar Science Team that had produced the modification tailored to Drell eyes, to enable them to perceive high-frequency flashes produced in Hanar bio-luminescent communication, helping the humanoid Drell to better understand the species whose world they shared.

On a particularly gloomy day, the mood inside the west wing of the institute did not reflect the overcast skies outside. Hanar are not a passionate species, but one in particular was getting rather carried away.

"This one, modestly believes that this development is the way forward. Should the Enkindlers wish it, this one believes that it will effect a complete cure."

The older, bluer Hanar to whom the scientist had directed his speech did not immediately respond, an opportunity that was seized by another scientist in the Chamber of Enlightened Thought.

"This One begs leave to humbly disagree with our esteemed colleague."

There were subtle flashes around the gathered Hanar.

"The only way to discover the truth is to perform invasive surgery on a sick subject, before the subject has reached beyond a certain point in the disease."

Another Hanar flashed his opinion. "This One believes that the treatment is too radical."

The first Hanar scientist was frustrated, not that anyone but another Hanar would be able to tell.

"This One humbly admits the truth of my colleague's words, but also would like to point out that any subject upon whom this treatment could be tested, would be in full possession of the facts pertaining to this treatment, as we currently know them and would need to give full consent."

The Older Hanar presiding over the meeting finally spoke.

"This One has given thought to your words. The Enkindlers willing, a cure will be found for our Drell friends in the near future. This One must speak the truth though. This One does not think the Enlightened Stewardship will consider approving this treatment."

The first Hanar protested. "This One bows humbly before the Science Leader and recognises his great wisdom. Would it not be better to illuminate their decisions by first testing on willing subjects?"

The Science Leader was adamant. "This One thanks you for your contribution. Kepral's syndrome is a great battle and we must consider carefully. The matter is adjourned until the meeting of the Enlightened Stewardship in 2 cycles."

* * *

"This one would like to know what you intend your next action to be".

Back in the lab, the Hanar Scientist had related the deliberations to his assistant.

"The Science Leader is a most excellent and knowledgeable Hanar, however this One believes that results of the test would convince him to change his mind. This One must find a way to obtain data."

The assistant shifted uncomfortably on his tentacles. "This One would like to point out that the data can only come from testing on a subject."

"This One concurs."

"This One must also point out that it would have to be done in secret and therefore illegally."

"This One again concurs. This One already has a test subject in mind".

* * *

The Normandy was docked at the Citadel, after coming off another mission to aid against the growing threat of the Reaper advance. Most of the crew were off on a day's shore leave and Shepard found herself alone in the Mess, sipping on a cup of hot coffee. She held a datapad in her hand and was so engrossed in it that she didn't hear the surprisingly light footfalls approach her table.

"Shepard?"

She turned surprised, "Hey Garrus, I didn't realise you were still on board!"

He nodded at the datapad she held. "News from Kahje?"

She automatically looked down at the datapad and a phrase caught her eye:

_...I resent t__hese days that I must spend away from you when our time is already so limited..."_

Shepard sighed, "Yes. Thane is getting tired of these trips every 3 months, and the treatment isn't pain-free, but it seems to be helping to hold the disease at bay." She ran her hand distractedly through her hair, revealing to Garrus more about her frame of mind than she realised. "If it gives us more time together then I can deal with the 2 week's separation."

Privately, Garrus didn't think she was dealing as well as she thought she was. Even though they were close friends, he still didn't feel able to articulate that. So he merely slid into the chair opposite her.

Shepard sat back, laying the datapad down with a slight clatter. She looked down at her hands as she thought of Thane again.

"Garrus?"

"Shepard..."

"He's not really going to get any better is he." It was a statement not a question. Garrus hesitated.

"Do you think it will always be like this?"

"I don't follow."

Shepard leaned forwards on her elbows. She struggled to find the right words.

"Everything that I have loved, I have lost: Mindoir, Torfan, Virmire, Horizon...." she reeled off the list quickly, waving her hand dismissively, not wanting to dwell on any of the names she had mentioned.

"Now that I have found...him.... someone that I want by my side for the rest of my life, the Universe is set on making me lose him too." Bitterness crept into her voice. Garrus knew that she was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

She continued "I mean, you would think that I deserve a break right? What with dying and all...."

Garrus responded gently. "Shepard you're talking as if there is a 'Universe' that gives a damn." He knew she didn't believe that anymore than he did, that she was clutching at straws.

"Thane believes!", Shepard pushed her mug away.

"And that is his choice" Garrus countered.

Shepard rubbed her face, struggling to make a coherent argument that even vaguely made sense. "But he has seen just as much violence and loss as I have, and it has not diminished his belief. He must see a pattern, a reason for all this....."

Garrus studied her expressive face. "Shepard, all philosophies attempt to make sense of death. It is the one battle that no species can win – not even Asari. However much it is rationalised in order to make it more palatable, you know as well as I do that it is random, arbitrary and inevitable."

Shepard got up and walked a couple of paces away from him suddenly feeling restless. "I just feel so helpless and out of control. When it comes to Thane I feel like I am in freefall without a 'chute..." she paused, "...and the landing will kill me." Garrus heard the break in her voice at the end and it tore him up that he could do nothing to help her.

The silence stretched across the deserted Crew Deck.

"Garrus I don't know how I'm going to cope when he's gone!". She turned to him and he saw the agony on her face. "He is the quiet at the heart of the chaos in my life, the only thing that keeps me sane!".

She punched the metal strut in front of her. "goddamnit! am I not entitled to some happiness? Isn't He? Thane might be able to be stoic in the face of this but I can't." She took a couple of steps towards him, her arms outspread, "I cannot let him see me like this, I can't speak to him about this it would only distress him and I have to be strong!" she slapped her fist into her thigh in frustration. "But I don't know how!"

Garrus had never seen her so conflicted. He didn't know what to say to her that would help her situation.

Just then EDI's voice rang out. "Commander Shepard, I have an urgent communication from Kahje".

All the colour drained from Shepard's face, and for a second Garrus thought that she would collapse. He rose swiftly from his seat, but she shook her head at him as she replied. "EDI patch it through to the terminal in the Med Bay".

The blood thrummed in her ears as she waited for the screen to load.

"Commander Shepard, this One would like to thank you for taking this call. We realise that you must be very busy...."

"Is this about Thane? Has something happened?" Shepard's voice sounded harsh cutting across the Hanar.

"Unfortunately it is this One's sad duty to convey the news that Mr. Krios has taken a sudden turn for the worse. This One feels it would be wise if you considered travelling here as soon as is convenient for you."

"What is it? What has happened?"

The Hanar seemed to flash a little faster than before. "This One believes that it would be preferable for all concerned if this was discussed face to face."

Shepard's lips tightened into a grim line.

"I will be there as soon as I can!"

The screen went blank. Shepard did not turn round.

Garrus struggled for words. What could he say to reassure her, that wasn't an empty platitude? He put his hand on her shoulder, only to discover that she was shaking. He watched aghast as she slowly sank to the floor. She sobbed as if her heart were breaking, the famous control completely rent asunder.

The Turian felt helpless when confronted with such a storm of grief. Bewildered and anxious, all he could do was wrap his arms around her shoulders and hold her as she railed against the ruins of her life and cursed the Universe. As used as he was to the violence of Turian grief and mourning rituals, it didn't make it any easier to see his best friend in such pain.

Eventually the sobs abated.

Shepard sniffed and wiped her face. She got to her feet unsteadily, waving away Garrus's proffered arm. When she finally turned round Garrus could barely suppress a gasp. He had never seen such bleak despair in her eyes, not even in the aftermath of Horizon.

She cleared her throat. "Garrus I'm taking a transport to Kahje."

He objected. "Shepard, we can recall the crew, they will all be back within the hour and the Normandy will get there just as quickly".

"No!" he knew that voice. It was the one that would brook no contradiction.

"The crew deserve their rest and I will not hold them hostage to my personal tragedy." She stepped towards the door of the Medbay. "The Normandy can rendezvous with me on Kahje once the crew returns."

She looked liked the Commander, she smelled like the Commander, but he barely recognised her. As she stepped through the Medbay doors, she paused for a second and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Thanks Garrus", and she left. Two hours later he watched the Transport freighter lift off from the public docking terminal, bound for Kahje.

Shepard spent most of the journey staring out at the stars, indulging in happier memories, trying to stave off the sick feeling in her stomach. She wondered if they had spoken to Kolyat and if he would be there. She was not overly close with the young Drell, not having had much contact with him. All her knowledge of him was gained second hand through Thane. She had no idea how he felt about her relationship with his father, or if he even knew about it. It was a side of Thane's life that she never felt comfortable intruding on. However, they were both listed as his next of kin, so she presumed that she would see him there.

They docked in the pouring rain and she caught a cab to the institute where she was met by a very apologetic and excessively polite Hanar and a Drell medical attendant. She was concentrating so hard on getting to Thane, that she only caught one word in every three. He spoke something about the procedure and unexpected side effects which had sped up the deterioration of the condition.

"How long does he have?" she said through gritted teeth as they travelled the seemingly endless corridors.

"This One thinks that unfortunately it is measured in hours rather than days."

Shepard felt a buzzing in her head and had to stop and grip the door-handle in front of her until her knuckles went white. Hours! How could she fit a lifetime into hours? She felt a hand on hers and she looked up to see the sympathetic face of the Drell attendant. "Commander Shepard, we have made Mr. Krios as comfortable as possible and will leave you two together." The low voice was resonant and soothing. "We will pray for both of you."

Shepard nodded and turning the handle, walked into a brightly lit room.

Everything seemed blindingly white as if her cybernetic vision was malfunctioning. She squinted and raised her hand to shield her eyes. Even the sounds were muffled and for a panicked second she thought she was passing out. Then her vision adjusted and she stepped further into the room.

Thane was lying in a bed in a white ward. His colour was off and he looked like he had lost some weight. His dear eyes were the same though and she swiftly walked up to the bed, then hesitated. All the tubes attached to him - would she hurt him if she embraced him?

He coughed and looked up at her "Siha you may touch me, it doesn't hurt."

Gently she leaned over and gathered him into her arms.

"Thane!" she choked, "I came as soon as I could!"

"Thank you.....I felt bereft without your touch.....my love."

Her heart leaped at his words and felt his arms slowly encircling her. She could hear an ominous thickness to his voice, as if speaking was a supreme effort. His breathing was shallow and no longer natural.

They lay there for the longest time in each others arms, and after a while, Shepard started to speak, whispering her love into his ear. As Thane's eyes widened and his tears mingled with her hair, she held nothing back, not caring about weakness or exposure. She bared her soul to him and showed him where she bled; drew him the shape of her dreams; painted a picture of their lost future. When she had nothing left to say, she was silent, but her head was pounding with the effort not to scream at him to keep breathing, to beg him to stay with her.

At length, she raised her head and gazed unblinking into his eyes. Their lips met in a passionate and desolate kiss that she never wanted to end. But his breathing was getting more ragged, and it was more important for him to take in oxygen. With an effort that went against every fibre of her being, she raised herself up and sat on the edge of his bed, holding his hand tightly. Wiping her eyes and attempting to lighten the mood a bit, she glanced around the room and observed some strange objects.

A chipped vase on the table had a painted landscape of a desert world that she assumed must have been the Drell homeworld of Rakhana. Someone had stuck a holo-pic of an Asari to one of the window-panes. Then her attention was caught by a very unexpected object. In the far corner of the room, someone had placed an old upright piano.

"What are these things here for?" she spoke more to herself.

"Other....patients...Siha" the rattle in his chest was terrifying.

To distract herself she wandered over to the instrument, her fingers skimming across the ivories.

"Do you play?" the voice was faltering.

She nodded and looked back at him, her eyes searching his anxiously. "My grandmother taught me as a child, but I have not tried in a long long time."

"Please..... Siha....... play for me"

Shepard hesitated, but his eyes entreated her. She could not refuse him anything.

She sat down on the stool and stared at the keys. Unbidden, a memory of her grandmother's music surfaced, more specifically of a particular sad little tune. Tentatively, she started to play, getting a few notes wrong here and there until confidence returned to her fingers and she stroked the notes with more assurance.

The sweet haunting melody of an old earth love song filled the air, poignant and sad. Thane watched the light playing on her features and silently whispered his love for her, his voice no longer functional. Slowly he closed his eyes and lay back. The music swirled through the space between them, binding them together with its beauty and intensity, rising up like a prayer to Kalahira.

Suddenly she became aware of the stillness behind the music and her fingers faltered on the keys and stopped, arms falling nerveless by her side. The lingering echo of the last few notes slowly died away.

She sat there in the silence, knowing she was alone in the room.

A distant chime sounded from her Omni-tool, the tag identifying the caller as Kolyat. Slowly she leaned forwards until her forehead rested against the cool wooden stand of the instrument.

Outside the window, the rain continued to fall steadily on Kahje.

* * *

_**There is more to come.... with a few twists**_

_**R&R please!**_


	2. Chapter 2

THE RAINS OF KAHJE

Chapter 2.

_**AN: Bioware owns everything.**_

"Garrus, I'm still not able to raise her", Joker had no wise-cracks, a sure sign that he was worried. "Its been over two hours now!" Garrus stood behind him in the cockpit on board the Normandy which was currently sitting in orbit above Kahje.

Garrus looked towards Miranda who shrugged her shoulders, meaning 'your call buddy'. He didn't want to intrude on Shepard's private time with Thane, but at the same time, he had to be certain that she was safe.

He stood silent for a while longer and finally made up his mind.

"I'll take a shuttle!"

"I'm coming with you!" Tali chimed in.

"And us!" Jacob and Mordin also stepped forwards.

Garrus looked at them for a second and then nodded.

The Kodiak landed just outside the Institute building. From the outside it looked like it was a haven of calm cleanliness and healing, but when they stepped through the doors, they found chaos. The atrium was full of Hanar, distressed and inarticulate flashes reflected off each other. In the centre was a whirlwind of fury and rippling biotic threats in a C-Sec uniform that Garrus and Tali recognised as Kolyat Krios.

"WHERE IS MY FATHER?" Kolyat was bellowing at a quivering Hanar, flickers of dark energy curling around his clenched fists.

"Whoa! Stand down officer!", Garrus sounded more stern than he meant to.

Kolyat started, then swivelled round to face them. They could see his dark eyes were bright with unshed tears.

Barely able to speak, he managed to spit out, " My father is dead! And they have stolen his body!" He pointed accusingly at the Hanar he had been facing down.

"What?" Garrus stepped forwards turning to the Hanar, "Explain!"

"This One is sorry to cause to distress, but that is the unfortunate truth."

"But how?" Garrus was bewildered by the turn of events.

"Perhaps I can help?" they all turned at the sound of the voice. A female Drell medical attendant was standing calmly behind them. Dressed immaculately in white, she was a delicate seagreen in colour, with fine features and a sincere expression.

"It would be better if this was discussed in private", she eyed Kolyat warily, "For everyone's sake.

Garrus nodded and grabbing Kolyat by the elbow, lead the way into a room indicated by the Drell. It was off the main corridor and was furnished with just a small table and some chairs. No one sat down.

As soon as the door was closed, Kolyat ripped his arm out of Garrus' grip and turned to face the Drell.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

"I can understand your anger Mr. Krios. Your father was a valued patient and we are doing our best to rectify the situation."

"It would help if you started from the beginning and told us exactly what you know" demanded Garrus.

The Drell nodded. "I went to check on the elder Mr. Krios' condition exactly 2 hours ago. I found him in his bed. He had been dead for roughly half an hour." There was a choked sound from Kolyat.

"I left the room to inform the superintendant of the death of the patient. Around 15 minutes later I returned to the room to prepare the body, to find that it was no longer there." The Drell stopped speaking.

"But, but how is that even possible?" Kolyat was still agitated setting Garrus' teeth on edge. He needed to think, to puzzle this out.

"So, let me get this straight! Thane's body has gone missing in a hospital full of staff and no-one noticed it being moved?"

"I'm afraid not." The Drell was apologetic but impassive.

There was silence in the room while everyone tried to wrap their heads around what they had heard.

Tali tentatively spoke up. "Where is the Commander?"

Kolyat suddenly punched the table, making everyone jump. "Of course! Commander Shepard must have stolen the body!"

"What?" Jacob was incredulous, "Why the hell would she do something like that?"

"How do I know what perverted reasons humans have?" Kolyat spat. "She must have been the last person to see him alive, we must find her!" Garrus put a heavy hand on Jacob's shoulder when he saw the Marine's hands ball into fists.

"Commander Shephard was indeed here earlier" The Drell attendant confirmed. "She remained with Mr. Krios for perhaps 3 hours. No-one saw her leave, so it is impossible to tell exactly when that occurred or indeed where she has gone to."

Garrus huffed, his mandibles twitching anxiously and he cast a hostile eye on Kolyat. "I agree we must find her, but not for the reasons you are thinking." He knew that Kolyat was hurting. Thane had confided in him that they had begun to get close only in the last couple of months. Missing the opportunity to say goodbye to his father seemed to be tearing Kolyat up, but that didn't mean that Garrus would countenance Kolyat's wild accusations.

"There is something else." The female Drell's voice cut across his thoughts. They all turned towards her, and she cast her eyes down. "The Hanar would not like me to pass on this information, but I feel you have a right to know. One of the Hanar scientists has also gone missing, together with all his research and equipment."

"How is this relevant?" Garrus growled.

"This particular Hanar scientist had been researching a controversial and highly radical cure for Kepral's Syndrome." Mordin perked up at this.

"He had applied for permission to conduct experiments on afflicted Drell, but due to the nature of the treatment, it was refused on ethical grounds. The unexpected and premature deterioration of Mr. Krios's condition and the fact that his body has disappeared at the same time as this particular Hanar could also point towards the unauthorised administering of the treatment to Mr. Krios."

Mordin nodded eagerly "Yes, yes, illegal test subject, results unforeseen, removal of research data and evidence in order to study subject and to perfect research, away from possibility of capture and detention. Seen that happen often, common modus operandi!"

"Mod what?" Jacob looked puzzled,

Mordin looked pleased with himself, it was a phrase he had picked up on Omega and had been waiting for an opportunity to use again, "it means way of doing things", he said smugly.

Garrus gave him a hard look, "Whatever Professor, we need to find both the Commander and Thane's body....."

"I'm going after that Hanar!" Kolyat interjected, looking grim.

"Fine", said Garrus, "Take Jacob and Mordin with you, you will need back up on this."

Kolyat was about to protest, but recognised the wisdom of having support, especially as he didn't know what he would be facing. That much of his relatively new C-Sec training had rubbed off. He turned towards the Drell attendant, and sounding much calmer began to ask for details about the missing Hanar.

Garrus took the opportunity to gather the Normandy members together.

"I don't know if the disappearance of both the Commander and Thane's body are linked or even if they are still together, but the fact that Shepard was gone before Thane's body, seems to indicate that it is unlikely. We need to make sure we recover both."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Jacob, make sure to keep Kolyat in line, but be sensitive. He might have been working with C-Sec for nearly a year, but he is still young and impetuous and in this case, emotionally compromised."

Jacob smiled grimly. Strange, Garrus would have never thought that they would accept his lead, but it seems that in the absence of Shepard, they had allowed him to step up to the plate without a murmur. They turned back to where the Drell attendant stood silent and composed and Kolyat was tapping something into his omni-tool. He looked up at them expectantly.

Garrus nodded at him, "Ok, lets get going. We can start with the wardroom they were in."

The Drell lead the way into the starkly white room. The bed was unoccupied and the sheets were thrown back in disarray. There was no sign of violence and nothing seemed disturbed apart from the bedclothes.

With a cry, Tali darted forwards to the Piano, followed by the others. Garrus stared in silence at Shepard's Omni-tool chip and her communicator, sitting side by side on the piano. They had obviously been deliberately and neatly placed there. Whoever had put them there, had not been rushed or under threat.

"I guess she really didn't want to be contacted?" offered Tali tentatively, her voice sounded sad.

Garrus suspected that Tali was right. If Shepard had been with Thane up to his death, who knows what her state of mind might have been? He began to look about himself. If he wanted to disappear from the room without anyone noticing, how would he achieve it?

He walked away from the group, over to the window and stared out at the grey, wet landscape before him. A few miles away he could see the translucent gigantic dome of a Drell city mirroring the soft weeping skies above. One talon traced the frame of the window and found that moisture had gathered on the inside of the bottom edge. He checked that the seal was true and then slid the window open.

The rain was soft on his face and he watched as it dampened the inside of the window frame. The windowsill was narrow and there was nothing much to hold onto on the outside. His keen eyes looked down at the ground and he thought he could discern the imprints of two boots in the mud directly beneath the window. He estimated the distance to be around 12 feet, not too high for a human to negotiate, especially someone as resourceful as the Commander.

He turned back into the room and addressed the Drell. "Was this window open when you first found Thane?"

The Drell looked surprised. "Yes it was, I closed it before going to the superintendent."

Garrus's mandibles flared, "Then I think we at least have a lead on the Commander."

They moved from the ward-room, into the research wing of the building. The lab they entered had obviously been recently stripped bare. There was damage to surfaces where machinery had quite literally been ripped off. It was a scene of panic and rapid departure. Mordin found a crumpled page of research notes he was attempting to decipher and the others were also searching the room as Garrus stood in the middle and looked around himself. It was an old trick he used in his C-Sec days. Put yourself in the environment and look around you, the way the suspect would have. He wasn't at all pleased to be made to feel as though he was back doing that job, but was thankful that the skills returned to him so easily.

The bench he was standing by, had quite obviously been the main research terminal. As he looked around, he saw shattered specimen dishes and discarded tool parts. Nothing that seemed to give him any clues. Out of the window, he could see an open paved area, with a small monument that seemed vaguely pyramid in shape. It reminded him of some Prothean remains he had run into with Shepard while tracking Saren across the galaxy. Remembering that the Hanar worshipped the Protheans, he didn't initially think too much of it.

His gaze continued round until he faced the opposite wall. Against it was a large plate of glass, where formulas had been written out and then badly smeared until they were unrecognisable. In the top corner, a small piece of paper still stuck to the glass. As he got closer, he could see that it was an image cut from a larger piece.

The Drell attendant observed him as he detached it and lifted it down.

Garrus was looking at an image of what looked like several pyramid structures of different sizes arranged around a central space. It was an aerial image that showed the immediate area was surrounded by thick forest. It was well-thumbed and looked as if it had been screwed up into a ball several times before being smoothed out again.

"It is an image of Inkahjra, one of the Hanar's earliest settlements and now a sacred space." The Drell had moved closer to look at what Garrus had found.

"It is a common enough image to find in Hanar offices and homes."

"A sacred space? Is it visited by Hanar often?" Garrus was curious.

"Oh no! It is hallowed ground dedicated to the Enkindlers. It is tended and preserved by a small group of caretakers, but otherwise untouched. To enter there would be desecration."

Garrus looked at her keenly. "So its a place only visited occasionally by a few and most stay away?"

"Sounds like the perfect place to have a secret lab!" Kolyat had overheard the conversation and was moving on the same wavelength as Garrus.

The Drell attendant looked shocked. "But no Hanar would dare trespass there, it would be sacrilege!"

Garrus shot a glance at her and responded drily "Not even a Hanar willing to experiment on unwilling victims, trash a lab and steal a body?"

The Drell dropped her head and didn't answer. "So where is this settlement?"

"On the far Northern tip of this island. There is a wide rocky and wooded peninsula that juts out for a mile into the sea. "

Garrus nodded towards Kolyat, "Think you can handle this kid?"

Kolyat's lips thinned, "Most definitely."

"Good," he tapped his communicator, "Joker you there?"

"Sure am Garrus! Tell Kolyat to kick some wobbly Hanar ass, or I'll have to come down and show him how.....I reckon even MY legs could handle that!"

Jacob smirked and looked away.

"Joker, make sure you keep in touch with both teams, let me know if anything happens."

"Sure thing Sir!" was Joker being sarcastic again? Garrus didn't want to find out. He turned back to the people in the room. "OK guys, everyone knows what they're going to do?" They all nodded. "Good, Tali you're with me, move out."

A few seconds later, the Drell attendant was the only person still left in the lab. She looked around her at the mess and wondered what would be the outcome of that day's events. She bent down and picked up the picture that Garrus had discarded, smoothing it out between her seagreen fingers. She sincerely hoped that the Hanar never found out their holy site was about to be invaded.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading.....more soon.**_

_**Please leave a Review.**_


	3. Chapter 3

THE RAINS OF KAHJE

Chapter 3.

_**AN:**__**Thanks for staying with this folks. As usual, Bioware own everything.**_

Shepard's world had come to a grinding halt around her, yet it still seemed like she was hurtling towards something out of control. It felt like someone had blasted holes through her present and all the losses she had suffered in her turbulent past seeped through and were trying to drown her. She was barely able to breathe.

For a time she was lost in the endless drumming of the rain, alone and helpless. She could not bring herself to look at the desolation on the bed in the wardroom. He was so close to her and yet he had evaded her grasp and simply slipped away.

Without conscious thought she got up, removed her Omni-tool chip and communicator laying them carefully on the piano. Moving over to the window, she slid it open and perched for a second on the narrow sill, the rain pattering on her exposed face and the Normandy fatigues she was still wearing. Weapon and armour-free, she dropped lightly onto the saturated ground and started to walk.

She had no destination, no direction in mind, just the need to put space between her, the Institute and the Normandy. The commiserating and sympathetic voices of her friends and crew were the last thing she needed to hear. She could easily picture the worried whispers, the sidelong looks. She was the one who never let anything get to her, who was strong, who protected them. Now she was broken, weak, useless.

Her strides lengthened and her movements became agitated. She strode through the streets blindly, feeling an incandescent rage boil up inside her. How could she have allowed herself to end up in this position? Was she so weak that she could not exist alone? Had she not already learned this lesson before? She viciously upbraided herself, finding a twisted satisfaction in being unable to refute her own arguments.

Wet through and seething, she didn't heed the shouts of warning as she crossed a main thoroughfare. The first vehicle to cross her path was hit by a warp so powerful, it was sent spinning with the unfortunate occupant still inside. Not seeing or caring, Shepard systematically cleared a path in front of herself ignoring the screams of fear and pain as the piles of crumpled metal came to rest, sentinels along her trail, like trees down an avenue. She never faltered or looked in any direction other than ahead, gaining perverse enjoyment from the feeling of the dark energy pulsing through her body and unleashing mayhem around her. She wanted to inflict the pain she was feeling on others, she wanted the world to know the howling emptiness inside. Never had she lost control in this way before, at least not since Mindoir and she had been untrained and inexperienced then. Fleetingly she wondered if this was what Jack felt.

With a last flick of her wrist, she dimly noticed that she was passing under trees and was rapidly leaving the sounds of destruction behind her. She walked on.

* * *

It didn't take Garrus and Tali much of an effort to track Shepard's progress. Initially it had been a case of trying to puzzle out which direction she had taken from the bottom of the ward window. The ground immediately in front of the building was a thin layer of grey mud. They found two sets of tracks in it, where Shepard appeared to be heading in a Westerly direction. After that it was paved surfaces, so they had to hope that their Commander was consistent in her bearing.

Rounding a corner, they suddenly encountered a scene of devastation where at least a dozen vehicles appeared to have been involved in several collisions. Rescue services were attempting to clear away the wreckage, all the injured having long since been tended to. Garrus had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach when he noticed that all the twisted machines lay in a line leading across the throughway, towards a thick bank of trees on the other side.

He approached a Drell officer who was busy attaching lashings to one of the wrecks.

"Excuse me, what happened here?"

The Drell looked up and registered slight surprise at the sight of a Turian and a Quarian.

"We are not entirely sure Sir, there were reports of a human female using biotics to attack these vehicles, but other witnesses claimed that it was a group of people, possibly terrorists. No-one is quite sure. Personally I've only ever seen Asari commandos spread destruction like this!"

"Oh Keelah!....." Garrus heard Tali mutter softly behind him.

"Were there many casualties?" Garrus asked miserably expecting the worst.

"No deaths, which is amazing considering all of this," the Drell swept his arm up and outwards, "but a lot of injuries, some quite serious. If you are worried about friends or…." He looked at them again, "…or family, there is a contact point for information."

"Thank you."

Garrus and Tali walked slowly past the misshapen hunks, both silent and thoughtful. Garrus wondered how he was going to bring Shepard back from this. He had never seen her wreck havoc on this scale, despite her reputation, and most definitely never on innocent civilians. Biotics of this strength, he thought, were Jack's territory. He now realized that the Commander had been holding out on all of them.

"We need to pick up the pace," he said grimly to Tali who nodded.

"I just hope we can get to her before she does something like this again….or worse!"

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been walking. It could have been hours, it could have been days. She had long ago abandoned her fury and was now just numb. Her muscles were starting to protest at the strain she was putting on them. Her clothing was saturated and the leaching cold wasn't doing her body any favours, cybernetics or no cybernetics. At least the trees seemed to be thinning out ahead.

At length, she emerged onto an undulating meadow of feathery mustard grass. The rain appeared to have stopped, although the never-ending clouds showed no break. A light breeze stirred the limp damp locks of her hair and the air seemed fragrant and salty.

Blinking, she stood still for the first time, as if newly awake. Frowning she stared at the scene in front of her.

The ground rolled away from her, down a gentle slope dotted with the occasional large boulder. Beyond the meadow, Shepard could see the vast expanse of grey in constant motion that was the Encompassing. The sea-breeze whipped up stronger, reminding her of the windy plains on Mindoir. On an impulse she removed her boots, the desire to walk barefoot as she had in her childhood, was overwhelming.

Reveling in the feeling of the soft stalks of grass bending beneath her feet, she walked down the slope towards the sea. The large irregular boulders became more numerous and she dragged her hand across their crumbly surface as she threaded her away between them. They seemed to be some kind of limestone that the wind and water had worn into fantastical shapes, a playground for the imagination.

Abruptly she froze. She heard voices up ahead. Cautiously she inched around a large rock and crouched down in its shadow. Up ahead, a path had been cleared leading down to the water's edge, where a set of 4 steps had been carved joining the sea and the land. To one side of the steps a raised dais supported a large statue of what looked like a female with Drell physical characteristics. Her body was contorted into the shape of a wave and her arms and lower part of her body melded into the water spouts that sprung up around her in a twisting pattern. The expression on her face was aloof and serene.

"Kalahira…." Shepard breathed her recognition.

The sound of voices became louder and down the path a procession wound itself into her view. Consisting entirely of Drell, it was lead by a solemn woman and a young man, who were immediately followed by six other Drell carrying a bier of freshly cut wood. Upon it lay a body entirely wrapped in purple fabric. The rest of the procession was made up of other people mostly carrying what looked like bunches of leaves and flowers, or little containers. Sinking slowly backwards, Shepard remained unseen as they passed by, chanting.

Inching forwards, she shadowed the group until they reached the statue. After a quick reccy she climbed a flat topped rock that stood in the shadow of a taller monolith and lay flat to watch the proceedings. She felt drawn towards the group and felt compelled to know what was happening.

The procession halted in front of the statue. The six pall-bearers stepped up to the statue's dais and raised and lowered the bier 5 times. Stepping away from it, they made way for the two main mourners. The young man very tenderly supported the woman as she stepped up onto the dias. Shepard could see her hands tremble slightly as she produced a gilt bottle and unstoppered it. The chanting ceased and the only sound was the rolling of the waves as the woman poured a greenish liquid over the shrouded body on the bier. Starting from the head, taking great care to cover as much of it as possible, she zig-zagged the length of the bier, the liquid pooling and spreading along the creases of the fabric and the form of the deceased below it.

The young man then joined her and placed small leaf parcels on specific body parts; the eyes, the mouth, throat, over the heart. Shepard drank in every detail. The woman beside him had begun to cry. He turned towards her and embraced her as they both stepped back into the gathering.

That seemed to be the signal to allow all the other people to step forwards one by one and lay similar leaf parcels or pour more liquid over the body. As she watched, Shepard's heart lurched when from somewhere among them, a keening voice rose clear in the early evening sky. She could not understand the words, nor was there a discernable melody, but the song rose and fell like the ripples of the ocean, desolate and supplicating. It's bleak beauty gave tongue to all the choked emotions festering in Shepard's chest. Feeling wretched, she blinked away the tears that she was surprised to find trailing down her cheeks.

The voice pulsed through her and seemed to envelope her. She closed her eyes and all of a sudden it was her in front of the bier, clinging on to the young man…Kolyat…….Thane! Her eyelids sprang apart and she sat bolt upright on the rock. The crowd had turned towards the sea and the six Drell had once again collected their burden, only now they were climbing down the steps, the water swirling around their ankles. The song had changed. It was now wistful and melancholy, a farewell to a loved one.

Unknowing, her fingers scratched into the soft rock as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to fling herself forwards and throw herself onto the body. But he was not there. She had abandoned him, not even giving him the dignity of the rites that meant so much to him. How could she have been so selfish!

Biting her lower lip, she watched them set the bier afloat in the water. It caught the current and moved away slowly away from the land.

"…. Into the arms of Kalahira…" a memory of Thane's voice echoed in her ears.

The song had ceased, the crowd stood and watched as the bier, weighed down as it was, drifted out slowly sinking until the waves folded over it and it was lost to her sight.

* * *

The cloud cover was tinged a dark orange colour and the shadows were deepening, when Garrus and Tali found Shepard. She was sitting on one of the lower steps, bare feet immersed in the water, boots tied around her neck, hugging her knees to her chest and clutching a small parcel which appeared to made out of glossy brown leaves.

She was so still that they would have easily missed her, if they had not heard her crying. Relieved to find her alive, they ran up.

"Shepard!, are you hurt?", Garrus crouched down on one of the steps, concern lacing his voice.

She mutely shook her head, her eyes red, her chest heaving with the sobs that wracked her.

Tali did not say anything, sitting down beside her and draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close. This had the effect of making Shepard weep even more.

Garrus sighed and turned to look out across the water. He thought absently that Kahje would be really beautiful if it wasn't for the permanent blanket of clouds.

There was a loud sniff behind him, making him turn back to Shepard.

"I…I didn't even stay to make arrangements for his funeral…!" she gulped.

Garrus and Tali looked at each other.

"Shepard….." Garrus started to speak.

"He's barely even cold and I just abandoned him!"

"Shepard!" Garrus raised his voice slightly.

She hiccupped and turned to look at him. She was a mess, but he knew that he had to tell her.

"Shepard.." he continued more gently putting a hand on her shoulder, " Thane's body has been stolen."

He felt rather than saw Tali's glare. He shrugged mentally, there was no way to soften the blow. As it was, he felt her stiffen and straighten under his hand. Now was probably not a good time to ask her why she had randomly attacked those vehicles as well.

She turned to stare at him, "What the hell do you mean stolen?" she demanded, the tone of her voice had changed completely.

"It was a Hanar scientist, Commander," said Tali, "He fled the institute, we think, taking Thane's body with him."

Shepard felt like the whole world was going mad. She stuffed the leaf parcel into her pocket and abruptly stood up.

"What the hell does a Hanar Scientist want with Thane?" She demanded frowning.

The sound of her voice and the light in her eyes almost made Garrus grin. The Commander was back and he for one was mighty glad to see the old Shepard.

"We believe that the Scientist was performing illegal experiments on Thane, which would be why his condition deteriorated so fast." Garrus explained what little they had discovered.

Shepard's mouth stretched into a thin line and her fingers curled as she listened to the theory behind the theft of Thane's body. She was going to make a particular Hanar very sorry that he had been born.

"Jacob, Mordin and Kolyat are following the leads. In fact I was hoping to receive an update from them by now."

Shepard thought wryly that Kolyat seemed to have managed to hold it together.

She bent hurriedly to pull her boots on, while Garrus walked a couple of paces away to contact Joker. Straightening up, the statue of Kalahira caught her eye. She stared into the expressionless face and silently vowed to bring Thane back to this place after she had made that Hanar suffer.

"Commander!" Garrus called for her attention, tapping his hand to his ear, "Normandy's sending a shuttle. Joker wants a word".

Tali walked over and handed over the communicator and Omni-chip she had found on the piano. Shepard had the grace to look a bit shame-faced and flashed Tali a smile of thanks.

Fixing her communicator, she tapped it lightly, "talk to me Joker!"

"Commander! So nice to chat!" the sarcastic voice of her favourite pilot made her smile.

"Unfortunately, I have just heard from Jacob. They've arrived at Inkahjra and located the Hanar's research lab. Unfortunately our wobbly friend's got guests visiting, and they are so gonna ruin the party!"

Shepard sighed inwardly, why were things never easy. "So what have we got Joker? Eclipse? Blood Pack?"

"Um, no Commander……… its Cerberus!"

* * *

_**Stay with me to the end guys, it gets good!**_

_**Please, pretty please leave a Review**_


	4. Chapter 4

THE RAINS OF KAHJE

Chapter 4

_**AN: Bioware owns everything *sigh***_

Jacob was not totally happy with having to babysit a distressed Kolyat. He had never been particularly close to Thane, so it was not like he could provide much comfort to his son. The Silence had been awkward in the cab-ride from the institute to Inkahjra. Mordin spent most of the time fiddling with the diagnostics on his Omni-tool or murmuring "Fascinating" at the stilted and infrequent exchanges during the few hours it took to get there.

The feeling of discomfort was mutual. Kolyat had worked in C-Sec long enough to be used to humans, but Jacob was not the type of human he had much experience with. Relaxed, wise-cracking, unorthodox enforcers under Bailey's command in Zakera Ward, were a world away from Po-faced, collaterally-damaging military types. He knew his dad had worked with a seriously eclectic mix of people on the Normandy, out of which Jacob was probably the most predictable. But it still didn't make him any happier about relying on a Marine who had defected to Cerberus.

His thoughts turned to Thane. His feelings towards his father had always been….complicated. He had spent years hating him, feeling abandoned and betrayed on behalf of his mother as well as himself. Then he had heard stories about him, from people who spoke of Thane with reverence and awe. Despite himself, he had begun to feel a sneaking pride in his father's achievements. But he was not his father, he thought bitterly, his one attempt to emulate him had been a disaster.

_Well perhaps not a total disaster_ he thought with a half-smile. After all, it had been the catalyst for a reunion between them - perhaps not one that he had initially welcomed.

He just wished they had had more time to talk, to be, to know each other. He realized that he was now in truth, totally alone in the world and he felt suddenly young and rather helpless.

_There was Shepard…_

Yes, if they found her, if she wasn't involved in Thane's disappearance in some way. He knew about his father's relationship with Shepard. He had run the gamut of disgust followed by jealously, ending with a kind of acceptance.

_She is not my mother…… why should she care…… we owe each other nothing._

Still, his outburst in the institute had been unworthy and he regretted it. He had time now to internalize everything and concentrate on the mission ahead. He was going to enjoy tearing that Hanar limb from limb he thought grimly.

The cab driver broke into his thoughts, announcing their arrival, before speeding off after leaving them at the entrance to a trackway leading through thick trees, with no sign of habitation in sight. The area was surprisingly silent, the only sound being the rustle of leaves and the distant sound of waves on the shoreline.

The skin between Kolyat's shoulder blades prickled. He felt as though they were being watched. He automatically moved into a more defensive stance. His movement caught Mordin's eye and he nodded approval at the young man's reaction.

"I somehow don't think we are alone," whispered Jacob, and signaled for the other two to follow him under the canopy of trees.

As silently and as stealthily as they could, they moved parallel to the path, following its winding route, but remaining under cover as much as possible. After roughly half a mile, the trees began to thin and the undergrowth became less abundant. Jacob signaled for them to stop. Peering through bushes and around tree trunks, they looked out onto a large clearing. Slightly off-centre stood a substantial and vaguely pyramid-shaped structure. Rising around 4 storeys, it was roughly constructed of what looked like mud and seemed to be of considerable age. Four other similar structures were dotted around, but they were much smaller in size.

As they watched, several figures emerged from the entrance at the bottom of the large structure. They were armed and patrolling the perimeter of the building. Jacob felt Mordin's hand grip his arm and looked were the Salarian was indicating. A small pile of crates were stacked by the closest small mud pyramid to their right. Every crate was marked with the Cerberus crest. Jacob smiled in relief. He holstered his weapon and strode confidently out of the trees, beckoning to his colleagues.

A rapid burst of gunfire peppered the ground around his feet and he instinctively leaped to safety, hiding behind the nearest crate.

"What the hell!?!" he yelled, "I'm Cerberus for fuck's sake!"

The gunfire ceased and he peered out. A small gunpoint had been constructed on top of one of the smaller structures closer to the big pyramid. He could see a man crouched behind the metal plates protecting the position. The two patrolmen had come running over, their guns raised. Jacob stepped out from behind the crates and walked towards them with his arms raised.

"Hey, guys, I'm with Cerberus too! I work directly for the Illusive Man…"

The two patrolmen looked at each other and one spoke into his communicator.

"Boss says he doesn't know you or the Illusive man, and if you're with Cerberus, what the hell are you doing with those alien freaks?" Mordin and Kolyat had prudently remained under the trees, although they were plainly visible.

Jacob frowned, "The Illusive Man is the head of Cerberus, you should know that! As for them, they are crew mates, they helped us save the human colonies that were being attacked, they are helping humanity!"

The man spoke into his communicator again, then looked at his colleague and turned to nod at the gunner on the roof.

"Fleming doesn't care what they've done, they're aliens, and you're a traitor to humanity….."

Jacob remembered the rest in slow motion. The two patrolmen raised their weapons in preparation to fire and he heard the click as the round chambered on the roof. There was a bewilderingly fast streak of greenish blue and something smacked into him from the side, bowling him over several times until he came to a stop, feeling winded and stunned on his back in the dirt. Crouched over him was Kolyat, his weapon drawn and firing. Jacob shook his head, rolled over onto his front and grabbed his carnifex. He never fired a shot. Kolyat had taken down the two patrolmen without too much effort and Mordin had sniped the gunner on the roof.

Impressed, Jacob got to his feet and dusted himself off. Turning to Kolyat he grabbed the young Drell by the hand.

"Thanks kid!" he grinned, "I owe you one! I've never seen anyone move that fast!"

Kolyat smiled, "I guess I learned something from C-Sec training".

"Good example of camaraderie, but we have company!" Mordin's voice made them swivel round.

A swarm of men were disgorging from the door of the large pyramid. Jacob and Kolyat took one look and dived for cover behind the handy crates, while Mordin remained behind his tree. A hail of bullets rattled their cover. Jacob knew they were in trouble.

He tapped his communicator "Joker, you there?"

"Whats up Jacob?"

"We're gonna need backup…….. and fast!"

* * *

Miranda stalked angrily out of the briefing chamber and took the lift down to the Mess.

"This is going to be good," muttered Joker as he patched himself through to the Mess com relay. He had heard every word of the conversation between the former Cerberus Operative and her ex-boss, and it hadn't been pleasant, or ultimately very useful.

In the mess hall, the remaining crew members sat around watching Miranda's stormy approach. She spoke without preamble.

"Well, the slimy bastard isn't giving away anything!" She stood with her hands on her hips looking pissed. "He claims that it could well be one of the autonomous scientific cells over which he has only nominal power. He says that it would take too long to track down which one."

Jack snorted "Bullshit!"

Samara agreed, "I find it hard to believe that man does not have a firm hand on the reigns of his own organization. He is after all the Puppet Master."

"So….do we fight?" Grunt tried unsuccessfully to mask the hope in his voice.

Miranda look round at all of them and nodded, "Yes, we fight!"

Just then, Joker's voice sounded across their coms, "Sorry ma'am, I've just heard from Garrus. They've found Shepard and she's ok!"

* * *

Shepard was glad to see most of her crew on the shuttle when it collected Garrus, Tali and herself. They had brought her armour and favourite weapons too. It wasn't long before she felt like she was returning to some semblance of normality. The comfort of familiar things helped assuage the grief and guilt that still choked her. It helped her focus on the situation at hand.

Miranda briefed her on the intel received from Jacob who was holed up with Kolyat and Mordin, trying to hold what sounded like a full Cerberus battle cell, at bay. Shepard's lip curled in contempt when Miranda recounted her confrontation with the Illusive Man. She knew that he was perfectly capable of having masterminded this entire situation. But with the theft of Thane's body he had crossed a line. This was now getting personal. Was he mad to divert her attention from the very real Reaper threat?

She looked around at her crew and her heart warmed. They were all there for her, well maybe Jack was there in search of a chance to kill some more Cerberus goons, but otherwise, she knew she was not alone. Movement caught her eye and for a split second she thought she was looking at Thane sitting in his usual place, doing last minute checks on his armour. A second glance told her it was Zaeed and a sad smile lifted the corners of her mouth. His loss was going to take some getting used to.

The Kodiak made short work of the trip north and they were soon landing amongst the trees a few hundred yards beyond Jacob's position. They could hear the sound of gunfire and stealthily approached the compound. Jacob, Kolyat and Mordin, had bunkered up inside the small pyramid by the furthest treeline. They were surrounded by enemy on three sides. The first thing that Shepard noticed was how sporadic the fire from the building was. That could only mean two things – either they were badly wounded and unable to retaliate, or that they were running low on ammo. There was no response from them over the com link. She really hoped it was the second option. She couldn't face any more losses at the moment, especially not if that loss was Kolyat.

"Miranda, we will split our forces. I'll take Garrus, Jack and Zaeed round to the left. You lead the rest round to the right. Flanking them will divert their fire from Jacob and the others. Rendezvous at their position."

Miranda nodded and turned to her team, "ok guys, move out!"

Shepard lead the way through the trees, round to the left. It wasn't long before they came upon the first group of Cerberus soldiers. They made the most of their one chance of using the element of surprise. A burst of gunfire and biotic power ripped into the enemy's right flank decimating their ranks. It didn't take much longer to pick off the remains.

"Six down", thought Shepard, as they carefully negotiated their way round some crates.

This time, the enemy knew they were coming. Several bullets impacted her shield and she threw herself to the ground, rolling over and coming to rest against another crate. She felt the box reverberate against her shoulders as the bullets meant for her, thudded into the crate's metal casing. Across the gap from her, Garrus and Zaeed were sniping at anything that moved in front of them. Leaning out for a couple of seconds, she counted around a dozen men, the largest concentration of them surrounding another of the small pyramid-shaped buildings.

Reaching behind her, Shepard grabbed one of her grenades. Flicking the switch, she counted under her breath and then lobbed it with deadly accuracy into the thick of the group she had spotted. Screams followed the explosion. Garrus picked off a survivor.

"Firing a concussive shot!" warned Zaeed. A loud bang followed and Shepard risked sticking her head out again to check on the numbers. Immediately, she had to duck back down to avoid the barrage of bullets. Damn it, still another four of them left. She carefully edged her way to the opposite end of the curved line of crates. If her calculations were right, this would angle the remaining enemies more or less in a straight line from her position.

She took a deep breath and activated the amp at the base of her skull, feeling the dark energy ripple through her body, coalescing into a straining mass that she could barely contain. She leaped up into the open and simultaneously launched a vicious shockwave down the line of the remaining Cerberus forces. Like a deadly game of skipping stones, it bounced off all obstacles, including armour and flesh, reducing the enemy to a pile of very dead contorted limbs.

"Damn Shepard!" said Zaeed admiringly, "I never want to face you when you're pissed off!"

Shepard smiled grimly and waved them on. She could hear firing and shouts from the opposite side of the compound, so it would seem that Miranda and her team were also gaining ground. With confidence they advanced, picking off the remaining stragglers who were no match for the Normandy team that had taken down the Collector base single-handedly.

By now, the hut occupied by Jacob's team, was ominously silent. Shepard's group was the first to get there and she did not hesitate to push her way through the barricaded doorway.

"Jacob?" she called anxiously as she walked through, and then smiled in relief at what she saw. Jacob sat on the floor while Mordin applied medigel to a gunshot wound to his left arm. Kolyat, apparently unharmed, was standing sentinel over them.

"Everyone ok here? Report!"

"Everything's fine Commander", Mordin was his usual quick-fire self, "Mr. Taylor has a mere flesh-wound which will heal quickly and neither myself nor Mr. Krios is harmed. Only trouble was lack of ammunition."

Shepard flinched at Mordin's use of Kolyat's surname. It reminded her that she still had unfinished business with the young Drell. Business that she could not put off any longer. Showing more confidence than she felt, she walked over to where Kolyat stood diffidently, the only outsider on the team and uncertain of his reception, especially after the wild accusations he had flung about at the institute.

He had had a chance to repent those words and felt ashamed, especially as he remembered the admiration and praise that his father had for the Commander.

Shepard halted a couple of feet away from him and cleared her throat nervously. Despite obvious differences such as age, colouring and height, he showed enough of his paternal inheritance to make her heart ache when she looked at him.

"Kolyat…… I…." She floundered over her words uncertainly.

She tried again, "Look, I know this must be horrendously difficult for you to deal with. I know you and Thane were just starting to get close again and it must really hurt. He always spoke of you with such affection and hope. I….. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you got here. It's my fault this has happened, if I hadn't run out…"

Kolyat stepped forward suddenly, raising his hand to her arm. Shepard felt the touch so keenly her words dried up. It was so similar and yet so different.

"Shepard" Kolyat's voice was low and calm, "Please don't apologise. I know how much you loved him, how much you loved each other. It is I who should be thanking you for making him happy over the last months of his life."

Shepard looked down, she was desperately trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill out. She took a deep breath and mentally told herself to get a grip.

Stepping back she looked up at him, "Thank you, but now I need you to get back to the Normandy."

Kolyat frowned, "What? I don't think so! I'm seeing this through to the end."

Shepard looked at him bleakly, "Kolyat, I have to know that you are safe, you are the only thing of his left alive in this world. I cannot face the possibility of losing you too."

The Drell's frown lifted, but a stubborn expression took its place, "I understand Commander, but this is just as much my battle as it is yours. With respect, I am not a member of your crew and I have the right."

Shepard was about to argue the point when she felt Garrus's heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the Turian's blue eyes looking steadily into hers as he shook his head ever so slightly. Shepard sighed acknowledging defeat. On impulse, she crossed the distance between her and Kolyat and threw her arms around him in a hug. The Drell started in surprise, then slowly lifted his arms and hugged her back.

For his ears only, Shepard whispered fiercely, "We will get him back, I swear to you!" His response resonated within her.

"I know".

* * *

_**I really thought this was going to be the last chapter. **_

_**There will be more shortly!**_

_**Please Review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

THE RAINS OF KAHJE

Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Bioware.**_

As soon as they walked through the entrance into the large mud pyramid in the centre of the Inkahjra compound, they felt the change in atmosphere. Outside the air was heavy and humid, almost as if it was constantly on the verge of a rainstorm. Inside it was lighter, less oppressive. Weapons at the ready, they carefully negotiated their way down a narrow passageway, occasionally blocked by crates marked with the Cerberus logo. Half way down, they found one open and full of heavy ammunition that they happily appropriated.

"Its not like we're stealing..." was Jack's sarcastic comment.

There were strange markings carved into the mud walls at regular intervals. They seemed to be stylised representations of Hanar involved in various activities, most of which involved the worship of figures that appeared to be gods. One particularly well preserved image caught Shepard's eye. She stole a second for a closer look and noticed that the 'gods' looked remarkably like the carved statuary on Ilos. She immediately realised that they were portrayals of the Protheans, or the so-called Enkindlers.

_This must be a temple of some sort_ she thought to herself and they continued to cautiously make their way to the end of the long corridor. At that point their way divided, one passage went upwards for around ten feet and was then completely blocked by a ceiling collapse. Their only other option was the second passageway that headed underground.

They still hadn't encountered any resistance, but were not taking any chances. Rounding a corner, Shepard slowly swung out, her weapon at the ready, only to find another stretch of interminable corridor. As they walked, a space opened up on the left and Shepard heard a gasp from Tali. Peering in, she noticed the heaped corpses of half a dozen Hanar.

"I guess we've found the site's caretakers." Garrus commented sadly.

"And a little of what Cerberus are up to!" Miranda had her nose among some boxes in the corner and was rifling through them with the butt of her shotgun. Shepard walked over to join her. The boxes were fully of lab equipment, test tubes, tools and datapads. These last were labelled 'Project 38'.

" These would have been shipped out from central supplies, no way the Illusive Man would have not known about this!" Miranda's voice was tight in anger. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll have plenty of time to confront him about this, lets keep moving,"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, when there was a burst of loud noise and grinding metal, and a biotic wave slammed into them, throwing them all to the ground, except Grunt who ended up pinned to the wall. The wave was immediately followed by the whistle of bullets. Shepard scrambled to get to some shelter, reaching for her gun, where it had fallen from her shocked fingers. There was an answering barrage from Grunt who had somehow managed to activate the extra protection field on his armour. This forced their unseen assailants to look for cover and gave the Normandy team precious seconds to recuperate.

"Grunt! Get under cover. Garrus did you see anything?" The Turian had remained in the corridor while they had been investigating the small room.

"Shepard, there are at least six Cerberus operatives coming up the corridor."Garrus's calm voice belied the severity of the situation. "These are not frontline like the ones outside. They're acting like commandos."

_Oh great, Cerberus crack troops_, Shepard looked around herself. There wasn't much cover to be had and they were backed into a dead end. She frowned in concentration, not the best strategic position to be in, but she had been in worse. Crawling forwards, she reached the doorway back to the corridor and rolling to the left, slowly climbed up the side of the arch, until she was upright. Back against it, it now provided her with some form of cover. She spotted Garrus behind one of the crates in the corridor, firing off shots. Carnifex in hand, she chambered incendiary rounds and leaned out.

Spotting movement, she narrowed her eyes and aimed at the head of a man who was just starting to glow as he charged up his biotics. She squeezed off two rounds before she whipped back behind cover. She grimaced as she heard the screams of the burning enemy. At her knees, Jack crouched down and leaned out. There was another scream as her warp hit its target. Garrus continued to fire off shots, keeping the enemy pinned down.

A whistling sound could be suddenly heard above the gunshots and Shepard's eyes widened as she recognised the drone. She barely had the time to yell "Incoming!" before swivelling around and diving for the floor. The blast caught her still in mid-air and blew her off course with a force that tore through her shields. She connected with the back-wall, the impact driving the air out of her lungs. She crumpled to the ground as everything went black around the edges of her vision.

There was a buzzing sound somewhere, but otherwise all she could hear was a loud ringing and the horrible gasps she made as she tried to force her lungs to inflate. One hand tore off her helmet and she stared up at the cracked mud ceiling, concentrating on the ache in her chest. This was almost worse than being spaced! She was surrounded by oxygen, but it was just refusing to enter her body.

Agonisingly slowly, her breathing started to ease and her hearing seemed to return. A fierce battle seemed to be continuing. She lifted her head and saw a very pale Miranda propped up against a wall, while Tali slapped some medigel on multiple wounds. Beside her, lay Jack unmoving. Forcing herself to sit up, Shepard shook her head trying to regain her shattered wits. She crawled over to the small group and touched Tali's elbow.

"Shepard! Keelah!....you're alive! I thought you were...... are you wounded?"

"No..!" Shepard was still struggling slightly, "....winded!.... Miranda? "

Even through the misty glass of her face plate, Shepard could tell Tali looked worried.

"Miranda isn't doing well, she's is badly wounded. We're going to have to get her out of here."

Shepard nodded and looked over to where Jack was stirring and sitting up.

"Shit! My fucking head!" Jack grimaced, "whoever fired that grenade, I'm gonna rip them a new asshole!"

Shepard was relieved, Jack seemed to have just been knocked unconscious. The sounds of gunshots abruptly ceased and she stood up as the remaining team members ran up to her.

"Shepard! We thought we lost you!" Garrus's mandibles twitched.

"Takes more than a grenade to take Shepard out!" growled Grunt happily.

"I'm fine, just a bit rattled. We're going to have to evacuate Miranda though, she was closest to the blast and looks like she got hit pretty bad. Samara, I need you to take Miranda back to the shuttle and evacuate her to the Normandy. You can return here afterwards if you wish."

Samara nodded and bent down to help a dazed Miranda to her feet.

Shepard turned back to Garrus, "Report.."

Garrus huffed, "We got that damned grenade guy straight away, he didn't get to fire another one, but the rest of them were tough bastards, but we took them down."

"It was a good fight Shepard!" interjected Grunt, "I can't wait for more..."

"Speak for yourself!" muttered Zaeed.

Garrus continued "It took alot of ammo though, to take them out, and we are running low again."

Shepard nodded, "lets check the bodies and any crates we can get into. We know what to expect now!"

They searched the area and bodies, but only managed to find a few heat sinks. Samara left, walking back up the passage, propping Miranda under one arm. After it became obvious that there was nothing left of any value to them, Shepard lead them down the corridor. It continued to zigzag downwards until it became impossible to determine how far underground they were, but Shepard guessed it to be quite a few storeys. Finally, they turned a corner to find their path levelling out. The right hand wall dropped away, to be replaced by water. They were following a walkway beside what looked like an underground river. The left wall was once again covered with intricate carvings.

Kolyat was walking beside Shepard and she heard him make a sound of surprise. He noticed her gaze and smiled back at her.

"We were told about places like this at school" His voice reverberated off the walls, and the rhythmic beat of their footsteps mingled with the echoes.

"So what is this place then?"

"It is so old, literally millions of years old, dating from when the Hanar were transitioning from a water-based society, to a land-based one. All their early land settlements were by the sea, like this one and they would dig tunnels down into the earth until they created an underground passageway that lead out to the ocean. Almost like a basement door out to the sea. That way, they could live in both environments easily and privately."

"Huh", commented Jacob behind them, "Kinda like having your house and garden on earth".

"If you say so, " said Kolyat dubiously, "I'm afraid I don't know much about human society. But these were built when the Protheans were still alive. This means that they pre-date the last Reaper-lead extinction."

"Amazing" Tali sounded awestruck, "how could something like this survive for so long".

Kolyat turned to her, "I am guessing that it must be to do with the Hanar's worship of the Enkindlers. Anything to do with them has been faithfully and meticulously preserved. They have also not allowed the remains to be disturbed by archaeologists or scientists. We are probably the first people down here since....since..."

"Cerberus?" offered Shepard wryly.

"Yeah... I guess so, " Kolyat looked angry, "I just hope they haven't destroyed too much."

Ahead of them, Garrus raised his arm for silence. They had reached the end of the walkway and another archway lead to a corridor that turned sharp left. Garrus advanced a short way, disappearing from view for a few seconds. When he returned he waved them forwards.

"Its a short corridor leading to another doorway beyond which is what seems to be a very large space. I could not see the end of it."

Shepard nodded, "Everybody stay on your guard. Follow me!"

They walked cautiously out into a cavernous room. The ceiling was so high that it disappeared into darkness. It was exceptionally cold and damp. They could see lots of crates piled around, arranged presumably by content. There was no movement, but Shepard was not fooled. At the far end of the space, she could see a light illuminating another room, this time with a large plate glass window. Inside she spotted what looked like lab equipment, at last they were getting somewhere.

Just then, a shot rang out and she automatically flattened herself against a crate. Her team fanned out and started to make their way around the room, using what cover was available. Selecting her sniper rifle, she climbed onto a crate, using a higher one as cover.

_Shit, they've got flying mechs!_ She dodged a shot from one of the hovering machines, ducking back down. Deftly changing her ammo to armour-piercing, she balanced the barrel of her rifle against the crate and lined a shot up. One of the mechs had Kolyat and Jacob hunkered down behind a crate, and the damn machine kept moving out of her cross-hairs. She slowly let out a breath and waited, her finger caressing the trigger. A few seconds later a shot rang out, and the mech exploded in mid-air. She heard a cheer from Jacob and smiled, as she pulled out her carnifex.

From then on it was a duck shoot. All she had to do was keep picking off the mechs, conserving her ammo for easy shots, letting her team clear the way forwards of any remaining Cerberus goons. She grinned triumphantly when she saw the last man surrender to Garrus and swiftly made her way down to where they were.

"So talk filth!" Garrus had the man on his knees, hand behind his head, as Shepard walked up.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the Commander's voice brooked no denial.

"My name is Fleming, I work for Cerberus, please don't kill me, I'm just following orders!".

Zaeed gave a humourless bark, "If I had a credit for everytime I've heard that!"

The man winced, "I'm only here protecting the Hanar! I really don't know what is going on, you'll have to ask him!"

"The human speaks the truth".

They all spun towards the voice. A Hanar stood in the doorway of the lab.

"This one offers no resistance and regrets the course of action that has lead to this!"

Shepard spoke through gritted teeth, "you'd better explain yourself!"

The Hanar seemed to hesitate, then spoke, "This one was denied the chance to prove the efficacy of new research into Kepral's syndrome. This one regrets to have availed of Mr. Krios's presence, but subsequent circumstances were...unforeseen."

"Unforeseen?!" Shepard spat out the words, but Kolyat pre-empted her.

"Where is my father?!" He was just a foot away from the quivering scientist.

The Hanar seemed to deflate a little. "Mr. Krios is within the lab."

Kolyat pushed the Hanar out of the way, the scientist wobbling down the ramp and backing away. Swiftly he strode into the lab. Before she could follow him, Shepard heard a sharp gasp followed by a cry of shock. Fearing the worst, she felt fury bubble up inside her and rounded back onto the Hanar, raising her gun.

"What have you sick freaks done to him!" she yelled, her chest tightening with a mix of rage and despair. Had they desecrated his body? Experimented on him? _Dissected him_? The gun in her hand shook, she was going to rip the tentacles off that Hanar, make him regret he had been born.....

A soft gasp from Tali distracted her, the Quarian was staring at the lab doorway behind Shepard. So was Garrus, and Jacob. Then she heard something that made her world turn on its head.

A low, rasping and utterly beloved voice calmly said, "Siha, they were saving my life."

She whirled round, the world spinning with her. There in the doorway, stood Thane, one arm around an ecstatic Kolyat.

There was a clatter as Shepard's gun fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide and she looked almost terrified. One hand went to her mouth.

"No....no, no, no, no.....no, no,.... no...." she shook her head refusing to acknowledge what she saw, one hand out as if to ward off something unwanted. The tears poured down her face unchecked.

"No, no, no, no..." she repeated brokenly, taking a step back. Then her legs buckled under her and she fell to her knees. Tali started forwards, but Garrus put out an arm to hold her back.

Thane slowly walked towards Shepard. She covered her face in her hands and rocked silently. He slowly extended his hand and touched the top of her head. Shepard froze, then looked up into the eyes that had haunted her waking nightmare; the eyes that she had never believed she would see again; the eyes that were looking down at her with love and concern. Tentatively she reached up and took hold of his hand. It felt cool to the touch and very very real. A heaving sob escaped and echoed round the huge space. She abruptly stood and threw herself into Thane's arms, holding him close in the storm of her grief and disbelief, not wanting to ever let go again and not caring about anything else but the fact the he was in her arms and he was alive.

When she was finally able to be coherent again, she stepped back and looked at him in amazed confusion. Kolyat joined them unable to take his eyes off his father.

"I....I don't understand, how are you alive?" Thane smiled at both of them.

The question was answered by Mordin, who had grabbed some datapads inside the lab and was scrolling through them.

"Incredible! Discovered genetic replacement treatment. Involves injecting patient with treatment that destroys the damaged cells, immediately followed by second series to replace the damaged genetic code with new immune cells. Result being apparent death."

"Apparent death?" enquired Shepard confused. "Are you saying that Thane didn't die?"

Mordin looked up, "oh yes, Commander, he did die. Technically. This research shows that Drell physiognomy has to be completely shut down in order for the new cells to graft on and take effect. In laymen's terms, Thane's body had to 'reboot' itself."

Shepard turned to the Hanar who was still hovering uncomfortably. "But why did you take Thane's body, why did you not explain?"

"This one had conducted the treatment illegally. Drell custom is to give the body to the sea before the first sunset. This One did not know how long it would take for the replacement cells to graft."

The Hanar paused, if it could show expression, Shepard was sure it would have looked shamefaced.

"This One apologises for the distress caused. This One did not wish to see Mr. Krios harmed in any way."

Jacob sounded impatient, "Ok, but Cerberus? What the hell were you thinking?" Fleming, bound and gagged by his feet, made a strangled sound.

"This one had been contacted by Cerberus. They were willing to fund the research and develop the cure."

Jack snorted, "Yeah let me guess, they weren't going to offer it free were they?"

Just then, Samara's voice sounded on the com. "Shepard, I have landed the shuttle in the compound, do you require assistance?"

"Hold on Samara, we're coming out."

* * *

Shepard and Thane stood hand in hand at the water's edge. Above them, arched the statue of Kalahira.

"I promised, I would bring you here, I just didn't expect you to be alive," Shepard smiled up at Thane.

Thane tightened his hold on her hand. "Believe me Siha, I did not expect to be here either. Waking up in that lab was one of the stranger experiences I have had."

"Something else that we have in common" she sighed.

Remembering something, she stuffed her hand in her pocket and pulled out the small brown leaf parcel. She weighed it in her hand, recalling the circumstances under which she had retrieved it from the sea. She held it out to Thane.

"This floated back to me."

He took it from her, his expression was one of surprise and awe. "Do you know what this is Siha?"

She shook her head.

"Inside, is a small sea-stone, a pebble from the shore. It signifies the change from one life to the next. They do not float, they sink."

Shepard frowned. "but this really did float back to me."Thane chuckled and held her close. This made her so happy that she didn't press the point.

After a while he murmured, "We also call them, the gifts of Kalahira..."

They sat there watching the waves, revelling in each others presence and the unexpected bliss that had been granted them. The world was waiting just beyond, for them to rejoin reality. But for now they were content to stretch the moment for as long as they could.

A few hours later, Kolyat in the Kodiak came to retrieve them and the waves once again rolled onto a deserted shore, empty but for a statue with a serene expression beneath which sat a small brown-leafed parcel.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading. This has been alot of fun to write. It started out as an attempt to write the tragic end of Thane, but I just couldn't do it!**_

_**I would love to know your thoughts – please leave a review.**_


End file.
